


In This Moment

by rozabellalove



Category: Leverage
Genre: F/M, Season 4 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-02
Updated: 2011-09-02
Packaged: 2017-10-23 08:53:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/248490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rozabellalove/pseuds/rozabellalove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers for 4x07 The Grave Danger Job & 4x10 The Queen's Gambit Job.<br/>Parker's slowly coming to realize that she has a family around her, and one person in particular who's there for her no matter what.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In This Moment

This magic moment  
So different & so new  
Unlike any other  
Until I met you  
...Everything I want I have  
Whenever I hold you tight

-*-*-  
Parker  
-*-*-

She was flying, wind rushing through her hair and making her breath catch in her throat with the force, blasting back the smile from her face as her heart raced from the thrill of the fall. The chute puffed out behind her and she floated against the drag of air under the fabric. The ropes in her hands felt like they had been there forever, like she’d been born to do this. Maybe she had been born to it, maybe she’d been destined to become a thief. After all, it had led her to this moment, this realization.

She was no longer alone.

Hardison’s words came back to her as she floated down on the currents, ‘You have _me_ , and I got you.’ The smile on her face was so wide it almost hurt her cheeks. Even landing and walking in the clumpy, heavy boots couldn’t bring her down. His words repeated through her mind and she let them sink in to her skin. Not alone. She’d never had a real family before.

The van swung in front of her and came to a stop. She leapt inside with the same wide grin plastered to her face, and they were there - her team, her family, the ones she could rely on. Hardison beamed at her in the rear-view mirror, and for a second she was breathless again, knowing that his smile was all for her. She joked that she wanted to go up and jump again, but the truth was that she was happiest when she was in his company.

Although she might not have let herself feel it so strongly before, she was lost without the hacker. It scared her sometimes to think how much she was coming to depend on him, she’d never known how much she didn’t have, until she met the man who was slowly teaching her that it was okay to let down those walls she’d built up. The thought that she could lose him was the only thing that stopped her from giving in to the feelings that were growing in her daily now.

She had bad dreams some nights. Ones where he didn’t make it out of the shallow grave they’d rescued him from, ones where she let herself fall and there was no-one left to catch her. On those nights she strapped on a harness, leapt into the darkness, and let herself gravitate to his window without even really thinking. She might not be able to rest when those dreams threatened to come back, but perched on his window-ledge watching him sleep, she found some peace.

Now, as she felt her heart fighting to close, begging her to ignore Hardison’s promise to always have her back, she remembered what Sophie had told her: ‘This life is not worth living without the people that make us want to tear down those walls. The thrill of vulnerability, the danger of opening your heart.’ She met his eyes in the mirror and let him see it all, the fear, the worry, and the love that was threatening to overwhelm her. His answering soft smile let her know that he was ready to handle it all and more. She relaxed against the cool metal and let Sophie and Eliot’s conversation flow around her, distracting her from the way her heart hadn’t quite slowed down enough, even though she was back on solid ground.

-*-*-  
Hardison  
-*-*-

Sitting at their table in McRory’s, Hardison watched as Sophie and Nate reached a point where they had to be alone together. A couple of drinks and a few long glances between them, it wasn’t long before Sophie was heading off to _powder her nose_ and Nate was following without even bothering to concoct such a flimsy excuse, a small smile flitting across his face. Now they just had to get rid of Eliot, but that was often easier said than done. The hitter looked like he was settling in for some hardcore drinking tonight, ego bruised by Sterling’s nasty little trick much more than his face was.

He had two options. He could bore Eliot with in-depth geek, or he could distract him with something that the hitter found hard to resist. The first choice seemed like it could get him a swift fist to the face, and also risked boring Parker too. The second choice was a little more difficult to achieve but more likely to keep Eliot out of their hair and oblivious for the rest of the night. He fired off a quick text and waited anxiously for the reply. When it came Hardison grinned, and sent Eliot to the bar for shots.

Eliot had cracked open the whisky and was lining up the glasses when she walked through the door. Long golden hair swept into an elegant chignon, librarian style glasses framing her wide, cat-like eyes. Her pencil skirt was just a shade too tight, crisp white shirt showing a hint more cleavage than she’d allow on a con. Tara looked perfectly ready to seduce the hitter. Already Eliot had paused, bottle hovering over the first glass, almost ready to spill the first drop.

“God, the day I’ve had…” She reached back and pulled the pins out of her hair, swinging it loose to fall into flowing, golden curls down her shoulders and back. She sat on a barstool and eased six-inch stilettos from her feet, letting them drop to the floor as she propped her perfectly pedicured feet on another stool. Eliot’s mouth was open a little and he was gazing at Tara with the naked want of a man who’d been lost in the desert looking at a tall glass of iced water.

“You gonna pour those or do I have to do it myself?” Her voice was light and teasing, belying the harsh words.

Eliot swallowed and nodded, “Yes, ma’am.” A predatory grin was beginning to form on his face.

Ten minutes later there was whisky spilled on the bar, a pair of high heels abandoned on the floor, and no sign of the grifter or the hitter. Hardison still hadn’t had any of the whisky, but he had something better sitting right there with him.

-*-*-  
Parker  
-*-*-

It felt like Tara had only been in the room for a second before Eliot was whisking her away. Like a cartoon, she could almost see the lines that their swift exit had made in the air. Part of her wished she could be so spontaneous when it came to her feelings, wished she could just drag Hardison away and _make_ him stay with her. But it was never as simple as that. Leaping from a fifty story building with nothing more than a homemade harness and a length of rope was one thing. Jumping into this thing between them was something else entirely, and she didn’t know yet if she was ready.

His fingers drifted across the table, landing softly on top of her own. She stood a little too quickly and the chair behind her rocked for a second as if it would topple over, but landed back on its four feet. She wished she could get her balance so easily, but the gentle caress of his fingers made her dizzy in a way she’d never known, even when she faced a four hundred foot drop. Letting him touch her was like falling without a harness, dangerous but exciting. She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t sit back down either.

He seemed to know better than to look up at her and risk frightening her away. Instead he was focused on where their hands met, thumb gently stroking her little finger in soft little movements. She let her gaze fall there too, mesmerized by the slow caress of his thumb. She felt the air around her shift as he stood slowly, carefully, soundless so as not to startle her.

The heat of his body crept into her awareness, and still she looked away, watching the tiny movements where their hands met instead. His warm breath ghosted over the skin of her throat, she watched as his fingers drew up from her own hand, brushing lightly over her arm. His other hand came round to gently rest in the small of her back and she didn’t pull away. Her heat beat frantically in her chest, even harder and faster than when she was in freefall. All she needed to do was turn her head, just an inch, just a breath away and he was there, waiting for her. It was harder than she could have imagined, moving that last inch, once she’d done it there was no turning back. Once she let herself fall she had no harness to save her, she could only rely on him.

His hand had reached her shoulder, came up warm along the side of her neck and cupped her cheek. Closing her eyes, she let the comfort of his touch flood through her and rested her cheek in his hand. Just the barest of touches from his hand and her head was turning, a fine dusting of dark stubble tickled her skin. Her heart was thumping and she was holding her breath, dazed, hazy and yet feeling every soft touch of him against her skin.

His lips parted as they dragged across to meet her own, taking her bottom lip in between his and gently sucking on it for a second. Her head swam as she tasted him, the sweet liquor on his lips, the spicy smell of his cologne. He held her so lightly, the hand on her back pulling her in but gently enough that she could pull away if it became too much. His other hand slipping around to cup the back of her head, fingers tangled in her hair. He held her as if she might break at any second, and kissed her with a restrained intensity that only made her want more.

When he finally pulled away, he kept hold of her and pulled her in tightly, resting his forehead against hers, eyes still closed. She waited for a moment, waited for the need to run and escape to kick in. When she found her hands wrapping around his neck and her lips seeking him out, she realized it wasn’t going to happen. Where would she go? Everything she needed was right there with her.


End file.
